


I guess that's love (I can't pretend)

by youarebymyside



Category: Ready or Not (2019)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Daniel Lives, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Grace and Daniel deserve each other, Inspired by Music, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:15:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22652368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youarebymyside/pseuds/youarebymyside
Summary: What if it didn't matter in Le Domas family who you are married to? What if you and the only person you truly love and appreciate with your whole heart can stay alive during and after Hide and seek?(Daniel may not think much of himself at first, but he sure as hell thinks the world of Grace. And if she made her choice, even Alex can't take that away from them.)
Relationships: Daniel Le Domas/Grace Le Domas
Comments: 14
Kudos: 158





	I guess that's love (I can't pretend)

**Author's Note:**

> If somebody could be be my beta on this, that would be awesome. Until then, I am not a native English speaker & I do my best.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! x

_Love, I have wounds only you can mend_  
_And my arms are tough, but they can be bent_  
_And I wanna fight, but I can't contend_

_Tom Odell_

"What the FUCK?!" 

The bullet goes right through Daniel's shoulder. Daniel is in agony, he is furious. He looks at Charity with hatred while applying pressure on the bleeding arm. The pain is too bad to ignore and for a moment, he can't move. 

Charity's hands are shaking, tears in her eyes, as if she can't believe she actually did it. The look is unfocused, she is staring at the gun in her hands. It gives Grace the opportunity to get a grip and to move quickly. When Grace grabs Charity's hands, Charity shoots again. 

The bullet stays in the ceiling and Grace's face is unreadable. She feels how Charity is trying to resist, but she just can't shake Grace's hands off her wrists. Getting angry, Charity pulls the trigger again and misses. 

"Charity, stop it," Daniel's shoulder hurts like hell, but he has to walk it off. He knows that he and Grace have to get to the hospital. 

"Shut the fuck up, you don't care if I live or die, Daniel." 

Charity is disgusted by her husband's betrayal, as if half of a year back Daniel did not say that he wants a divorce. As if they did not discuss it every week since then and as if Daniel did not get extremely tired of it. Charity is disgusted by Grace herself. 

Daniel did not want to talk to Grace about Charity when it came to this, but she just wanted to know what they are dealing with. She never met Charity in person before this night, but she is still disgusted by Charity's beliefs and life choices. 

Daniel knows that his wife _will_ shoot him — both him and Grace _—_ in the face if that means that she can keep being a part of this sick family. In for a penny, he knows, and definitely in for millions of dollars. She is soulless and he hates her for that, now more than ever. 

Daniel does not interrupt when he sees a painful grimace on Charity's face. He only wants to help Grace, but he is afraid that he might hurt her if he tries to grab the gun himself. Daniel knows Grace for a little over than a year and if there is something he learned, this woman is a deadly beast. Working out, boxing and taking fighting lessons, she would try to rip her enemy's throat out. She is probably stronger than Daniel, so he just watches Charity's struggle. Ready to give Grace a hand at any moment, if she would need one. 

Grace grabs the gun out of Charity's hands and points it at her face. It is clear as day that Charity wants to kill her not because of the game, but because of the jealousy. Because it is like a personal attack on her, as if even Grace's existence is an insult to her. Some unknown poor slut that wants to steal her husband _and_ the money that belongs to her after she married Daniel. 

"Oh, you _bitch._ " 

She tries to attack, but Grace gets out of the way and Charity collapses on the floor. She is angry, but she does not understand that whatever she is fighting for, it is meaningless. She does not understand that an orphan's will to live — to get through another day and night — is much more powerful than some rich people playing their stupid game just for fun.

Fighting with all the strength she still has left in her, Grace stands on Charity's arm so she would not move. She screams from the pain and Daniel quickly stands on his wife's another arm. 

"You piece of—"

Grace puts a gun in her mouth and looks at Daniel with a question. He hesitates for a second. 

"I would rather die than go back to my family," Charity said to him many times. "I will never give you a divorce. Better shoot me yourself, but I will not give up without a fight."

He knows that she will do anything to kill them, she will shout to bring the family's attention. They will bring more guns and torture Grace before finishing her off with a knife during the ritual. There is no more hesitation when Daniel looks into Grace's eyes and mouths, "Do it."

Charity tries to get up, but Grace's smile is wide and beautiful. It terrifies Daniel and makes his heart twist. Even now, she gives him _butterflies_ and there is nothing he can do with this feeling. Grace pulls the trigger two times in a row, until the cylinder is empty and Charity's brains are all over the floor. 

Daniel's heart is in his throat, but he gently holds Grace right above her elbow. "Come on, let's get out before the others will catch up on us." 

Grace lets off the gun and her hands are starting to shake. The adrenaline is still rushing through her, but the realisation of how many people she was forced to kill tonight is just around the corner. 

She is still on edge when they are on their way to Daniel's car. "I want a fucking divorce," she hisses. She hates this whole place and she hopes it will burn to the ground. "A selfish fuck, I will kill him myself, I—"

Daniel helps her to get in the car and closes the door behind her, then gets in the driver seat himself. Grace sees Alex running towards the car in the mirror and orders, "Drive." 

Before Grace, Daniel wanted to protect his little brother from the ugliness of this world. He tried so hard and he was succeeding, he would give up his own life for Alex. 

And when Alex introduced him to Grace, he tried so hard not to fuck this up for them. He tried to ignore her kindness and the warm feeling under his ribs that she made him feel. He tried to convince himself that she is one of billions, nothing special. 

But the whole family was ignoring his drinking problems. He was trying to drown his childhood trauma, his demons, his marriage problems. He was trying to drown his feelings for Grace and she was the only one who listened and took a glass of whiskey out of his hands. 

She was sweet and she would invite him to a dinner with Alex even when Daniel did not belong in there. She would drag him outside when he was about to get another drink and they would end up having a wonderful time, just the two of them. He was coming back to life with her, remembering how to make a joke that is _funny._ Her soft suppressed belly laugh, along with a genuine smile were the greatest gifts he could ever receive. 

She even introduced him to her trainer at the gym and that is when he got to know how actually strong she is. An absolutely gorgeous killing machine. 

She never pushed him away and she made him realise what it is like, to actually love somebody with his whole heart. Not just to be grateful for sharing his existence, not just doing what he is told. Not just to be the usual family's fuck-up. But to actually _love_ and be loved by another human being.

Grace was everything and she brought the light back into his life. She gave him meaning and even Alex could not take that away from him. Not after he chose to keep Grace in the dark about their family's sick tradition. Not after he warned Daniel not to say Grace anything. Not after Grace made her choice and now is sitting next to him and asking to save her from Alex.

After Grace, he sees how their house is on fire and he wishes that he would have done this sooner. 

"Daniel, _drive."_

He looks at his brother in the mirror and floors the gas pedal. The tires are screeching as they ride towards the unlocked gate. She opens the window and takes off her wedding ring. 

"Hey Alex," she screams as making sure that he looks at her, still trying to chase the car. "I hope it is still funny when you are in hell. You fucking ASSHOLE."

She gives him _two_ middle fingers after throwing the ring at him. She knows that this house is hell on earth itself and she hopes that somebody from Le Domas family will shoot Alex, maybe not even on accident. 

* * *

It's ten in the morning when the doctors at the hospital are almost done with them. Grace holds Daniel with her uninjured hand, gently rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. The adrenalin is still wearing off, her whole body aches. The injuries on her back hurt just as bad as the hand that Georgie shot her at. 

She dreams of falling asleep and even the bed she sits on at the ER feels comfortable enough. Last night should have been just a horrendous dream, but Daniel's bloody jacket says otherwise. 

The doctors give them a few prescriptions — for painkillers and for antibiotics. They ask both of them to visit the hospital next week to see if wounds are healing properly.

"You want to get a hotel room?" Daniel asks after the doctors let them go. Grace looks at him seriously and gets up from the bed. Her knees are giving in and Daniel catches her, not letting her fall. "Woah, are you alright?" 

Holding onto his forearm, she closes her eyes and sighs, taking just a moment. "Yeah. Let's get out of here." 

She keeps holding onto his arm until they stop at the parking lot. Daniel promises to find the nearest hotel as soon as they sit in the car, but for some reason she is not letting Daniel go. He looks at her with a question in his eyes and she leans in and hugs him. 

He places a hand on her waist, making sure not to bother the injuries on her back and not to bother his own shoulder. Her left arm and his right shoulder, if they hold hands, together they can be almost a whole functioning person. 

"Daniel," her voice is low, her breath near his ear. 

"Yeah?" 

Why didn't Alex tell me, she thinks. She is sure that Daniel told Charity about his family's deadly game, because Daniel is _good_. Daniel thinks he deserves to die for his family's sins, but that is why he is twice the man Alex could have ever been. 

Thinking about this now, Grace feels like a complete fool for thinking that they could easily get away with this affair behind Alex's back. She probably enjoyed Daniel’s company too much and they kissed a few times, but she was getting ready to choose Alex. Because that was the plan from the beginning — to marry _Alex_.

She really thought she could stay very good friends with Daniel. She wanted to keep spending time with him, to help him stay sober. She could not understand Alex’s hints, but how could she predict something like this? “I’m giving you a way out,” Alex said.

Thinking about this now, she knows that Alex only ever loved himself. That it was only _Daniel_ who ever cared about her and how she was right about Le Domas's hatred for her. For not being rich and for showing her teeth in the time of need. For fighting for her own life. For whatever they wanted to hate her, they did. 

Still, she has never been mean to people for no reason and what happened last night is haunting her now. 

_Daniel, I killed your wife._ The thoughts are rushing through her head, one worse than the other. Was there any other way? There should have been the other way. 

"I hate your family." 

He chuckles. "I know. I probably hate them even more than you do."

Grace looks into his eyes, her own eyes are full of tears. She sniffles and makes sure not to cry. Now is for getting inside the car, not for crying at a parking lot. "Thank you."

Daniel looks like there are too many things he wants to tell her. 

_Don't mention it._

_It was them or us._

_Of course._

_It's gonna be okay now._

_You did me a favor._

_I love you._

He is not sure if she will be okay with this, so he presses his lips against hers very gently. He lets her choose and she opens her mouth, pressing their lips harder together. He slips his tongue in her mouth and the kiss is slow, almost insecure. As if they never did this before. 

But they _did._ And it's so familiar, her lips are soft, the mouth is warm and welcoming. He wants to hold her with his both arms, he wants to hold her _tight_. He wants to protect her from anything that could ever possibly hurt her again. 

"Grace, we are going to be fine." 

"Are we?" 

It is a miracle that he is still alive after this night. It is a miracle _Grace_ is still alive. 

"We don't have a choice now," he tries to reassure her. She does not seem convinced, but she nods and gets inside the car anyway. 

* * *

Before going to the hotel, they find the nearest clothes shop. Daniel asks Grace’s size and asks her to stay in the car. He's gone for no longer than fifteen minutes when he comes back with a pair of t-shirts and a pair of cosy sweatpants. In the other bag, Grace also finds a comfortable mini dress with a flower pattern and a light cardigan of a matching colour. 

"We'll return or throw away anything you don't want to wear, it's just till you feel better," Daniel says and Grace only rolls her eyes at that. She does not have the energy to change in the car. "I'm sorry, the hotel probably has some sort of a dress code and you have nothing to wear. We could grab your clothes from your apartment later or buy you something that you will actually like." 

She can't help but to give him a tired smile. He is smart and caring. He is sweet. Alex never truly saw this in Daniel, not as a brother, not as another human being. "These will work just fine. Thank you." 

The lady at the reception doesn't ask a single question about the the way they look, still in bloody and dirty clothes. Maybe she thinks they were attacked. Maybe she thinks they had a wild wedding game night. Both are correct, but not in the way she could even imagine. 

She keeps smiling at them, asking for a payment, and Daniel pays for a few days ahead. She gives them the keys and asks if they need any help finding the room. Daniel specifically asks not to accompany them. Grace only now notices that the tag on the administrator's jacket says that her name is Georgia.

 _Georgia wishes them a good day,_ what a fucking irony.

“Thank you,” Daniel smiles back at her and Grace touches his lower back in some sort of impulse. She is barely standing on her feet and she holds the back of his jacket in her fist.

They put the "Do not disturb" sign on the door handler. And when Grace knows that they are finally safe, she asks Daniel to help her to get rid of the dress. 

Once a beautiful white dress, now is a brown and muddy piece of cloth. He unzips it and helps Grace to take it off.

She puts the dress straight into the trash can. "I would burn it if I could," she says under her nose, more to herself than to Daniel.

Daniel can't take his eyes off her, even with all her injuries and bruises. He saw her in a swimsuit before, but not in transparent underwear. They never had sex while Grace was dating Alex, only kissed. 

She takes off the underwear and he is not sure if he should look or turn away. Her breasts are beautiful and in any other situation, he would definitely kiss all over her collarbones and neck. He would cover her breasts with kisses. He would place her on the bed and make her moan with his tongue. 

But she does not make it sexual and he can't carry her, not with his injured shoulder. She just needs to rest and he knows it, pushing back all these thoughts. 

"You need help taking your clothes off?" She is exhausted, and yet, the tone of her voice is warm and concerned. 

He realises what she offers and shakes his head. "No, I can handle this." 

She wraps herself in a blanket as he undresses. He keeps the boxers on and lies next to her, covers himself with another blanket. Face to face, he wants to cuddle her, but he is not sure what is the best way to approach this. 

She gets closer before he can even ask. She still smells like dirt, grass, sweat, and the perfume that stayed on. He probably smells just as bad, but she does not seem to mind. 

"I'm glad I met you, Daniel," Grace says quietly into his neck. Daniel expects the words to feel wrong, but it feels just right. "And I don't mean that you were at the wedding and that you saved me. You did, by the way. I would _not_ get out of there alive without you. But I mean that I'm glad that Alex introduced us." 

He does not know what to say and if he even should say something. He does not know if his home is still standing, if any member of his family is still alive. He does not know if he wants them to _be_ alive or if he just wants to move on and never deal with their nonsense ever again. He feels nothing about the possibility of not seeing them or seeing their bodies lifeless, just like he saw Charity last night.

While he thinks about this, Grace is already sleeping. He kisses her on the crown of the head before giving up and falling asleep just as quickly.

Unintentionally, they hold onto each other till the moment they wake up the next morning.

_Feel our bodies grow and our souls they play_  
_Oh love, I hope you know how much my heart depends_  
_But I guess that’s love, I can’t pretend_

_Tom Odell_

**Author's Note:**

> I just watched the movie on February 9, 2020 and needed to get out this out of my system, I guess. 
> 
> These two are absolutely amazing and deserved so much better than canon put them through. I am completely in love with them. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are highly appreciated, please tell me what you think. <3


End file.
